about:home search engine not working

When I attempt searching in about:home it fails. It seems to be a JS error since the html form appears quite valid. My aboutHome.js is here: http://pastebin.com/muSihvGt .
As can be seen below, I'm on linux 3.2.0-29-generic , 64 bit. In Aurora.

When I attempt searching in about:home it fails. It seems to be a JS error since the html form appears quite valid. My aboutHome.js is here: http://pastebin.com/muSihvGt .
As can be seen below, I'm on linux 3.2.0-29-generic , 64 bit. In Aurora.

Chosen solution

The problem seems to be that you can't initialize the chromeappsstore.sqlite file properly.

Deleting the chromeappsstore.sqlite and resetting the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref and restarting Firefox should normally fix this, but in you case even a manual edit doesn't work.

Is there a script error in the Error Console (Tools > Web Developer)? To isolate issues related to a particular website function, I suggest the following:

(1) Click the Clear button in the console
(2) Reload the page
(3) Check for Errors (use the Error button to filter out the noise)
(4) Submit your search
(5) Check for Errors

What happens when you try to search. No response?
Is there a script error in the Error Console (Tools > Web Developer)? To isolate issues related to a particular website function, I suggest the following:
(1) Click the Clear button in the console<br>
(2) Reload the page<br>
(3) Check for Errors (use the Error button to filter out the noise)<br>
(4) Submit your search<br>
(5) Check for Errors

If there is a problem with searching via the default about:home page then try to reset the search engine used on the about:home page.

Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.

Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset

Close and restart Firefox

If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.

If there is a problem with searching via the default about:home page then try to reset the search engine used on the about:home page.
Reset the <b>browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone</b> pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the <b>about:config</b> page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/about:config
#Open the <b>about:config</b> page via the location bar
#Type in the Filter bar: mstone
#Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset
#Close and restart Firefox
If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.

Helpful Reply

How is the about:home search engine being reported?

You can inspect the current search engine via this code in the Web Console panel with the about:home page on display.
Paste this code in the command line that gets selected when you open that panel via Firefox > Web Developer > Web Console or Ctrl+Shift+K.

localStorage["search-engine"]

Copy the result via the right-click context menu to the clipboard and paste it here.

How is the about:home search engine being reported?
You can inspect the current search engine via this code in the Web Console panel with the about:home page on display.<br />
Paste this code in the command line that gets selected when you open that panel via Firefox > Web Developer > Web Console or Ctrl+Shift+K.
----
<pre><nowiki>localStorage["search-engine"]
</nowiki></pre>
Copy the result via the right-click context menu to the clipboard and paste it here.
----
I see this:
<pre><nowiki>"{\"name\":\"Google\",\"searchUrl\":\"https://www.google.com/search?q=_searchTerms_&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a\"}"</nowiki></pre>

Question owner

@cor-el it seems you found it, I get "undefined". Which is in itself weird since in about:config I have:
browser.search.order.1;Google
browser.search.selectedEngine;Google

I tried manually setting it in the Console (with the \ breaks), but unfortunately it is not persistent (doesn't work after set before restart and I have firefox dump tmp files upon close which may explain it not staying post-restart, though it may be made to do that)

@cor-el it seems you found it, I get "undefined". Which is in itself weird since in about:config I have:
browser.search.order.1;Google
browser.search.selectedEngine;Google
I tried manually setting it in the Console (with the \ breaks), but unfortunately it is not persistent (doesn't work after set before restart and I have firefox dump tmp files upon close which may explain it not staying post-restart, though it may be made to do that)

If this doesn't stay then you may have (security) software that is preventing Firefox from saving the data in the chromeappsstore.sqlite file properly.

In the web console you can use this:
<pre><nowiki>localStorage["search-engine"]="{\"name\":\"Google\",\"searchUrl\":\"http://www.google.com/search?q=_searchTerms_&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a\"}";</nowiki></pre>
If this doesn't stay then you may have (security) software that is preventing Firefox from saving the data in the chromeappsstore.sqlite file properly.

Question owner

As I've stated previously, I'm on Aurora Linux (x86_64). There's no security software needed here as long as I don't install random packages... And when I feel I have to I scan them with an on-demand scanner and/or look at source.
However I *do* have firefox clear tmp files on each restart. Also, changing that field (and checking and seeing it changed) did not affect about:home before restart.

As I've stated previously, I'm on Aurora Linux (x86_64). There's no security software needed here as long as I don't install random packages... And when I feel I have to I scan them with an on-demand scanner and/or look at source.
However I *do* have firefox clear tmp files on each restart. Also, changing that field (and checking and seeing it changed) did not affect about:home before restart.

Question owner

Actually, I was just about to write about that -> I've used sqlitebrowser (I'm more comfortable with a terminal). chromeappsstore.sqlite was empty. I tried adding a value that the owner was "search-engine" and marked all the other fields as the above (I knew it was "owner" by analyzing the log of the database. It seems that when I try to get the value of localStorage["search-engine"] firefox looks in the DB, but writing to it only happens in memory) (but without \ parsing as the DB was UTF-8). It managed to stay there (after a restart I checked back), however, the value of localStorage["search-engine"] still returns "undefined".

Actually, I was just about to write about that -> I've used sqlitebrowser (I'm more comfortable with a terminal). chromeappsstore.sqlite was empty. I tried adding a value that the owner was "search-engine" and marked all the other fields as the above (I knew it was "owner" by analyzing the log of the database. It seems that when I try to get the value of localStorage["search-engine"] firefox looks in the DB, but writing to it only happens in memory) (but without \ parsing as the DB was UTF-8). It managed to stay there (after a restart I checked back), however, the value of localStorage["search-engine"] still returns "undefined".

Note that it isn't simply creating a search-engines entry, but also have set the scope value of that entry to emoh.:moz-safe-about

I recently posted some code on the Contributors forum to be used in the Error Console.
*[[/forums/contributors/708557#post-48144]]
You can give that a try as well.
Note that it isn't simply creating a search-engines entry, but also have set the scope value of that entry to <b>emoh.:moz-safe-about </b>

Question owner

Upon attempting that I recieved the following error:
"Error: TypeError: defaultEngine is null"

As I said, chromeappsstore.sqlite is entirely *empty* except for the one field I added manually. It seems that there's either a parsing problem or something similar.

Upon attempting that I recieved the following error:
"Error: TypeError: defaultEngine is null"
As I said, chromeappsstore.sqlite is entirely *empty* except for the one field I added manually. It seems that there's either a parsing problem or something similar.

Question owner

Apparently, it did not work. It's supposed to uninstall after doing so and it didn't, about:home not fixed either.
It seems it probably ran into the same error.

Weird fact -> my brand new arch install had no such problem.

Apparently, it did not work. It's supposed to uninstall after doing so and it didn't, about:home not fixed either.
It seems it probably ran into the same error.
Weird fact -> my brand new arch install had no such problem.

Question owner

And no result from that either. Can someone just point me towards the location of about:home locally, so I can modify it? I'm sure making the form plain html (I only want google to be honest) shouldn't be that hard!

And no result from that either. Can someone just point me towards the location of about:home locally, so I can modify it? I'm sure making the form plain html (I only want google to be honest) shouldn't be that hard!

The problem seems to be that you can't initialize the chromeappsstore.sqlite file properly.
Deleting the chromeappsstore.sqlite and resetting the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref and restarting Firefox should normally fix this, but in you case even a manual edit doesn't work.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone
This is the data that I get if I use Copy Row(s) to SQL in the right-click context menu with the SQLite Manager extension.
----
<pre><nowiki>INSERT INTO "someTable" VALUES ("emoh.:moz-safe-about","search-engine","{""name"":""Google"",""searchUrl"":""https://www.google.com/search?q=_searchTerms_&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-aurora""}","0",null);</nowiki></pre>
----
<pre><nowiki>CREATE TABLE webappsstore2 (scope TEXT, key TEXT, value TEXT, secure INTEGER, owner TEXT)</nowiki></pre>

Can you list the local location of about:home for future reference though?

If you View Source on about:home, you can see the "location" in the title bar. It is generated from a template in the omni.ja file.

''Can you list the local location of about:home for future reference though?''
If you View Source on about:home, you can see the "location" in the title bar. It is generated from a template in the omni.ja file.